Today’s topic is Disrupting to Innovate. We disrupt the narrative that you have to hustle, compete, and succumb to hate in order to get ahead as a woman, as a nurturer, as a leader or as a business owner in order to create what we know to be true - that we can lead with self care, collaboration and love as our focus to achieve our goals and live the life we desire. I will walk you through the four stages of the Well Woman Life Cycle as we disrupt in order to innovate. Then, I'll talk to an incredible group of women who are disrupting current systems and norms around breastfeeding and pumping in order to innovate in research and tech, change public and private policy and shift social norms.

For high achieving women, it's hard to sit by and watch our lives unfold in ways that don't live up to the expectations we have for ourselves, whether it's relationships, our health, our financial success or our career. We know that there is so much more we can contribute to the world and we are ready to step up, meet the challenge and be rewarded for investing in ourselves and for serving others. But there are challenges. We are hard workers, yet we tend to over do it. We are determined and strong, and we sometimes don't know when to slow down, or how to. We are focused and driven, and realize we need to course correct in major areas of our lives, which can lead to huge shifts and that can be difficult to manage.

The self help world relies on individual behavior change (work on yourself first in order to change the world) - that we have to hustle, compete, and succumb to the many forms of hate in order to get ahead as a woman, as a nurturer, as a leader or as a business owner. I believe we have to disrupt this narrative in order to create what we know to be true - that we can lead with self care, collaboration and the many forms of love in order to achieve our goals and live the life we desire. I propose that real change is determined by the interaction of two factors, not one: individual change AND environmental or external change. And the interaction of these two factors determines which stage we’re in.

In the United States, only 22 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed for the recommended six months. New parents face challenges including stigma, lack of access to education and resources related to breastfeeding and pumping, unfriendly employer policies, unforeseen costs, and racial bias in the health care system.

The first Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon, in 2014, focused on the technological and physical difficulties of pumping because the basic technology and structure of the standard breast pump hasn’t changed much since its creation in the 1850s. This year’s breasfeeding festival included over 175 engineers, advocates, health care experts, parents, and students to address the many challenges of breastfeeding and pumping.

I caught up with some of the Make Breast Pumps Not Suck Breastfeeding Festival team at the recent US Breastfeeding Committee conference in Atlanta, GA. I talked with Binta Beard/Policy Summit Lead, Catherine D'Ignazio/Executive Director, Rachael Lorenzo/Community Innovation Team Leader, Becky Michelson/Program Manager and Jenn Roberts/Equity and Inclusion Lead. You can read their full bios below.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1) how the Well Woman Life Cycle works and what each stage means
2) how to start noticing things that don't work for your gender, culture or body
3) how a festival and hackathon disrupted the dominant culture of breastfeeding and pumping

Guest Bios:
Binta Beard is Managing Partner at Equinox Strategies, where she provides strategic consulting to clients on a range of health and public policy issues. As a veteran staffer of both the House and Senate, she understands the dynamics of the administration and Congress. With this experience and her background in public health, she possesses the knowledge needed to navigate today’s complicated public policy issues.
As a Principal at the Podesta Group, Binta was client manager for multi-national companies, one of the country's largest foundations committed to the well-being of children, and a non-partisan children's health advocacy group. On Capitol Hill, she served as Senior Policy Advisor to Majority Whip Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), where she led the senator’s health portfolio. In this position, she drafted legislation and amendments enacted into law, worked with committees, and partnered with public and private stakeholders. Prior to Sen. Durbin, she served in the House of Representatives as Legislative Assistant to then-Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Binta managed health legislative priorities, including passage of health care reform.
Before arriving to Capitol Hill, Binta worked in the public health sphere in many capacities. She conducted obesity and cancer prevention research at Dana-FarberCancer Institute, examined barriers to and the indirect costs of health care at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and investigated disparities in children’s exposure to toxins at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta. She received a doctorate in health and social policy and a master’s in health and social behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College.

Catherine D'Ignazio is a hacker mama, scholar, and artist/designer who focuses on data literacy, feminist technology and civic engagement. She has designed global news recommendation systems, run women's health hackathons, and created talking and tweeting water quality sculptures. She is the Executive Director of the Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Project that convened 300 innovators at MIT to envision the future of breastfeeding and paid leave in the US. D'Ignazio is an Assistant Professor of Civic Media and Data Visualization at Emerson College, a Senior Fellow at the Engagement Lab and a research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab.

Rachael Lorenzo (Mescalero Apache/Laguna Pueblo/Xicana) is a queer mother of two and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico to young parents and was raised on her father's ancestral land in Laguna, New Mexico. Rachael graduated with a BA in political science and a Masters in public administration, focusing on public health; both degrees are from the University of New Mexico. Rachael studied political campaigns, participated policy analyses, and has been consulted for her expertise in public health policies that could impact indigenous communities.
Rachael was not only raised on her traditional values but also on politics. Throughout her academic career, she volunteered for political campaigns, ranging from city council elections to presidential campaigns. She was selected as a fellow for President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, Obama For America (OFA). She was also a part of cohort of brilliant change-makers in the Western States Center's Western Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) and completed Emerge New Mexico in 2017.

Becky Michelson is a Boston-based strategic partnerships lead and design-researcher for social impact initiatives at The Engagement Lab at Emerson College. She is passionate about how marginalized communities can leverage participatory design and storytelling methods. Her approach incorporates design-thinking, playfulness, and qualitative research. This is why her work broadly spans from media literacy game development to civic media network building and NGO capacity building.
Trained in Cultural Anthropology at University of California Davis, Becky has applied her passion for applied ethnography to research studies on storytelling for social change. Her work has been published in media literacy and social computing journals. She has facilitated dozens of games and design-thinking strategy sessions for leadership with: the United Way, Greenpeace, the Participatory Budgeting Project, and and the Office of Science and Technology Policy under the Obama Administration. She managed the production of The Public Engagement Roadmap - a suite of creative planning resources for cities and governments.
Currently, Becky is the Program Manager for the “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck” research, hackathon, and Policy Summit. She also strategizes for several multimedia projects at the Engagement Lab at Emerson College that focus on meaningful engagement in the public sector.

Jenn Roberts is an educator, facilitator and mother who brings over 15 years of experience and passion in race and equity work. She began her career in education teaching 3rd grade in Chicago Public Schools. After teaching she went on to support new teachers in the classroom, develop curriculum for new teacher certification, and train school leaders in best practices in human capital. In 2011 she moved to DC Public Schools, where she helped to lead the DCPS Office of Human Capital in developing the will, skill, and courage to interrupt inequities and create more equitable policies and outcomes for DC students. She founded Versed Education Group in 2015 to continue this work, assisting organizations in developing their skill to operate from a place of equity as a habit. She served as the Equity and Inclusion Lead on the Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Project and is a proud alumna of Spelman College, which she credits in nurturing her desire to lead through service. Jenn lives in DC with her spunky and creative 6-year-old daughter, Nia.

The topic today is integrating and applying traditional knowledge and my guest is Nicolle L. Gonzales, BSN, RN, MSN, CNM. She is Navajo and her clan is Tl’aashchi’I, Red Bottom clan, born for Tachii’nii, Red Running into the Water clan, Hashk’aa hadzohi, Yucca fruit-strung-out-in-a line clan, and Naasht’ezhi dine’e, Zuni clan. Growing up on and off the Navajo reservation near Farmington, New Mexico her traditional healing practices have always been apart of her life. While obtaining her graduate education, it became apparent that her traditional healing practices and philosophies about “health” and “wellness” were vital to the care she provided as a Nurse Midwife. It is with this deep understanding and respect for her way of life as indigenous peoples that her worldviews are based on and are reflected the projects she participates in. Her primary goal as a Nurse Midwife is to keep birth sacred and in native communities, by integrating and applying traditional knowledge. She received her Bachelors degree in Nursing and a Masters degree in Nurse Midwifery from the University of New Mexico.

supporting women to be who they are
supporting women on their terms
having the courage to stand up for yourself, without apologizing
indigenous feminist framework and its use for healing sexual and physical violence

Today’s topic is Taking risks and running for political office as a first time candidate and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll be inspired to identify your authentic leadership and start failing fast in order to get to your goal. And we hear the blow by blow story of her election night in Javits Center in New York City.

My guest today is Alessandra Biaggi. Before launching her campaign for state senate, she served in Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration in his Counsels Office. During the 2016 presidential election, she was the Deputy National Operations Director for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Her run for office is preceded by a decade of advocacy, national leadership, and service to the people of New York, interning for Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), the Kings County D.A.s Office, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, and working as Assistant General Counsel for Governor Cuomo's Office of Storm Recovery. Biaggi was born in Mount Vernon, New York. She's a graduate of Pelham Memorial High School, New York University, and Fordham Law School, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review. In 2014, she attended the Womens Campaign School at Yale University.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1. what's possible when politicians have integrity
2. being an authentic leader // speaking truth to power
3. why failing fast is one of the roads to climbing the mountain

Today’s topic is A Young Professional's Journey to Success and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll be inspired to identify your journey and follow your intuition. I break down with my guest the actual steps she took to get into law school and then land a major job on the Hillary Clinton campaign.

My guest today is Alessandra Biaggi. Before launching her campaign for state senate, she served in Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration in his Counsels Office. During the 2016 presidential election, she was the Deputy National Operations Director for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Her run for office is preceded by a decade of advocacy, national leadership, and service to the people of New York, interning for Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), the Kings County D.A.s Office, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, and working as Assistant General Counsel for Governor Cuomo's Office of Storm Recovery. Biaggi was born in Mount Vernon, New York. She's a graduate of Pelham Memorial High School, New York University, and Fordham Law School, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review. In 2014, she attended the Womens Campaign School at Yale University.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1. How to follow your bliss // identify your journey
2. Leadership: what it means today v. past
3. Listening to the whisper that is your intuition
4. What Alessandra gave up in 2016 after the election

Today’s topic is Juggling Career and Family and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll be inspired to take risks, understand the importance of surrounding yourself with people who cheer for you and take the next step in your own work-life juggle.

My guest today is Steph Poston. Poston is from Sandia Pueblo and is the owner of Poston & Associates, LLC. She's committed to inspiring tribal communities through culturally competent, community-based approaches. She has nearly three decades experience in public and community relations, strategic facilitation and training at the tribal, federal, state and local levels. In 2016, she was named New Mexico Women of Influence and in 2017 was recognized by NCAIED as the Native Woman Business Owner of the Year. In 2018 she was inducted into UNM Anderson School of Management Hall of Fame and was recently named a Small Business Champion by SCORE. She is also the co-author of: Poston is the co-author of "Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs in New Mexico: Surpassing Barriers and Stereotypes."

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1) no one gets a pass on pain when it comes to juggling career and family
2) overall wellness is essential
3) viewing fear as motivator

Today’s topic is Public Service as an Indicator of Success and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll learn about women running for office, advocacy and public service as qualifications for legislating, women's representation in government, and women's candidacy/ training resources.

My guest today is Kristin Seale, a lifelong public servant who currently serves on the leadership team of a statewide energy nonprofit that has helped Pennsylvanians of every electric ratepayer class conserve energy and save money through energy efficiency. She has a long track record of protecting and supporting communities in public health, poverty law, and energy, by advocating for and successfully moving bipartisan legislation in two state legislatures through community-led and coalition-based collaboration with elected decision makers. She is a founder of two successful nonprofit womens sports organizations -- one local, and one international in scope. Kristin earned a Bachelors of Public and Community Health from New Mexico State University, and a Masters of Public Administration from Villanova University. In 2017 she won an historic number of votes to flip a seat never held by a Democrat in a Republican stronghold district, and she is currently running for State Representative in the 168th House District in Pennsylvania.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
-what it's really like to run for office
-the unique challenges women face when running
-how to overcome them and win!

Today’s topic is sharing knowledge from the Indigenous Goddess Gang and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll understand the importance of history centering indigenous women and be inspired to see things through a new lens.

My guest today is Kim Smith from the Diné Nation in the southwestern part of the U.S. She has dedicated her life to fighting for indigenous human rights, water & land at a local, national and international level. In her Diné community her work includes advocacy work in environmental justice, food sovereignty, art & indigenous based knowledge. When she is not home Kim curates a national traveling exhibition called, The Art of Indigenous Resistance which highlights graffiti and indigenous art as a platform to raise awareness about indigenous resistance. Kim is the founder for the online collective indigenous feminist magazine, "Indigenous Goddess Gang". Kim works along side Winona Laduke as a board member for Honor the Earth & Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment, she is considered an expert on Climate Change for the United Nations and is a registered International Front line Defender.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1) Why we need a feminist history of women centering indigenous women
2) How Kim uses the term goddess
3) Insight into her vision of sharing medicine through an indigenous fem lens

My guest today is published author Kristine Kibbee. Kristine is a Pacific Northwest writer with an affection for all things literary. Kristine's passion for creative writing began in her early youth and led her to the doors of Washington State University, where she studied in the Professional Writing program. Kristine followed her scholarly pursuit of writing by publishing works in numerous magazines and literary reviews as well as published several novels.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
1) The importance of the "everyday heroine" in Young Adult Fantasy literature
2) The original purpose behind the telling of fairy tales and their relation to Fae lore
3) Insight into the current dynamics of the publishing world and how they effect women writers

Today’s topic is learning to trust yourself and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll be inspired to tap into your inner wisdom and intuition in order to stop second guessing yourself and start deeply trusting your thoughts and decisions.

Haley is motivated by her desire to bring yoga and wellness to her Indigenous people. Haley found yoga when she was going through a transformation of self-discovery. After the breakup of a long-term relationship, and her first yoga teacher certification, Haley decided to move closer to where mother grew up. She settled in the small town of Gallup, New Mexico, on the outskirts of the Navajo Nation. Embracing her culture helped her understand her roots, and yoga helped her create a new energy within herself. This energy has inspired her to create and lead others on the path of yoga. Her passion for yoga helped her confront her own historical trauma, and consciously change a cycle that was affecting her well-being, family, children, and community.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
what to do when you want to do too much;
how to stay focused;
how to find people who can make your vision happen,
the importance of delegation

Today’s topic is how overcoming fear is the foundation for good leadership and hopefully by the end of the show you’ll be inspired to look deeply at whether your fear responses may be derailing your leadership success and find ways to reframe your fear as a challenge or opportunity.

My guest today is Nyika Allen. Allen is the Director of Aviation for the City of Albuquerque. She is the first millennial to lead a city department and is the first woman to serve as Director of the Department of Aviation. She comes to the City from the New Mexico Technology Council (NMTC) - the State’s only business association for the technology industry, where she served as the President & CEO. She is passionate about technology, entrepreneurship, women's issues, and the economic health of New Mexico.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
How being a millennial has helped and hurt her career
What makes Nyika prepared to run the Aviation Department
What she's excited about as a millennial woman executive
How Nyika defines a good leader
How Nyika's upbringing contributed to her leadership ability
How asking for help is one of the best things you can do as a leader